Pierre Galopin
Encyclopedia
Pierre Galopin was a French
military officer who came to international attention when he was captured by a group of Chad
ian rebels, led by Hissène Habré
, on 4 August 1974 in the Tibesti mountains, in the middle of the Sahara
desert. He was tried by a "revolutionary tribunal", sentenced to death on 26 December 1974 and, on 4 April 1975, executed by hanging
.
Commandant Galopin had been sent to the north of Chad to negotiate the release of Françoise Claustre
, and her fellow hostages, by the French and Chadian governments. However, it has been alleged that he had a second mission, which was to encourage dissent among the rebels, and it was for this, together with his involvement in the interrogation of captured rebels using torture, that he had been condemned. The extent of Hissène Habré's involvement in his death is also disputed. It has also been claimed that Galopin was a member of the Françafrique
network, led by Jacques Foccart
.
When he went on his final mission, Galopin was deputy to Camille Gourvenec
, both as deputy commander of the Nomad and National Guard
, and as deputy security adviser to the President of Chad, François Tombalbaye
. Galopin had spent most of his professional career in the Sahara Desert, first distinguishing himself with operations in Mauritania
, and was in Chad during much of the period from independence in 1960 until his death.
His remains were returned to France after Idriss Déby
came to power.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
military officer who came to international attention when he was captured by a group of Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
ian rebels, led by Hissène Habré
Hissène Habré
Hissène Habré , also spelled Hissen Habré, was the leader of Chad from 1982 until he was deposed in 1990.-Early life:...
, on 4 August 1974 in the Tibesti mountains, in the middle of the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
desert. He was tried by a "revolutionary tribunal", sentenced to death on 26 December 1974 and, on 4 April 1975, executed by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
.
Commandant Galopin had been sent to the north of Chad to negotiate the release of Françoise Claustre
Françoise Claustre
Françoise Claustre , was a French archeologist who was taken hostage by a group of Chadian rebels, led by Hissène Habré, on 20 April 1974, at Bardaï, in the Tibesti Mountains of northern Chad. At the same time, the rebels also seized a German doctor, Christophe Staewen, and Marc Combe, who was an...
, and her fellow hostages, by the French and Chadian governments. However, it has been alleged that he had a second mission, which was to encourage dissent among the rebels, and it was for this, together with his involvement in the interrogation of captured rebels using torture, that he had been condemned. The extent of Hissène Habré's involvement in his death is also disputed. It has also been claimed that Galopin was a member of the Françafrique
Françafrique
Françafrique is a term that refers to France's relationship with Africa. The term was first used in a positive sense by President Félix Houphouët-Boigny of Côte d'Ivoire, but it is now generally understood to denounce the neocolonial relationship France has with its African backyard...
network, led by Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart was a chief adviser for the government of France on African policy as well as the co-founder of the Gaullist Service d'Action Civique in 1959 with Charles Pasqua, which specialized in covert operations in Africa.From 1960 to 1974, he was the President of France's chief of staff...
.
When he went on his final mission, Galopin was deputy to Camille Gourvenec
Camille Gourvenec
Camille Gourvenec was an officer of the French external intelligence service SDECE, possibly with the rank of colonel, who, from 1966, was seconded as security adviser to President François Tombalbaye of Chad, and was therefore effectively head of Tombalbaye's security and intelligence service. He...
, both as deputy commander of the Nomad and National Guard
Nomad and National Guard
The National and Nomadic Guard of Chad is one of four defence and security forces in Chad....
, and as deputy security adviser to the President of Chad, François Tombalbaye
François Tombalbaye
François Tombalbaye, also called Ngarta Tombalbaye , was a teacher and a trade union activist who served as the first president of Chad. He was born in the southern region of the country in the Moyen-Chari Prefecture near the city of Koumara and was of the Sara ethnic group, the prominent ethnicity...
. Galopin had spent most of his professional career in the Sahara Desert, first distinguishing himself with operations in Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
, and was in Chad during much of the period from independence in 1960 until his death.
His remains were returned to France after Idriss Déby
Idriss Déby
General Idriss Déby Itno is the President of Chad and the head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. Déby is of the Bidyat clan of the Zaghawa ethnic group. He added "Itno" to his surname in January 2006.-Rise to power:...
came to power.